Locking means for race horse starting gates



Aug- 1945- I K. c. GOODMAN I ,90

RACE HORSE STARTING GATES Filed Oct. 9, 1 942 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Kgnnzfh C.Goodman. BY M M A ORNEYS K. c. GOODMAN LOCKINGMEANS FOR RACE HORSE STARTING GATES 2' Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed" Oct. 9, 1942 PI I ' nockma MEANS FOR RACE HORSE STARTING GATES",

Kennethq Goodman, CoIumbus,.0hio I I 4 Application- October 9, 1942, Serial No. 461,501 I i a claims. (.01. na -1 .5)

PATIENT My invention relates to locking means for race horse starting 1 gates. It has to do, more'particu larly, with locking means which is electrically and hydraulically operated.

Inthe past, starting gates have been operated by electrical and sometimesmeohanical means but these gates have not been very satisfactory in practice; One of the main disadvantages of these prior artgates is that they do not operate satisfactorily at'al-l times. In the priorart electrical gates, it is necessary tomake a circuit to the electrically operated-lock of each gate in order to release such lock whichholds the gates in-closed position. Ithas sometimes-happened that the circuitwas not made tea-11 oi the gate locks and this resulted inone or more of the gates remaining inclosed position. 1 As the gates are opened a bell is rung simultaneously to spur the horses forward. When one or" the gates does not open and the bell isrung, the horse, in that particular stall; which is trainedtobreak at the sound of the. bell crashes forward into the closed gate often resuiting ininjurynot only to the horsebut to the jockey.- Inthe mechanically operated prior art gates, it is difiicult to open all of the gates simultaneously. A further disadvantageof the prior art starting gate is that in-the electrical type of lock it has-been impossible to" release one ofthe-gates independently of the others so as to allowan over anxioushorse to break through while allowing the other horses to remain in the stalls; Thi is a markedi isadvantage, since it is then necessaryto get all of the horses: back into starting; position. instead of'one if theyare all released because of the over-anxious one.

One of the objects army invention. is to pro vide an electro-hydrauli'clf locking means which will release all of the gates simultaneously.

Another object of my invention is. to provide a starting gate whereinIeachjst'all gate is provided withal'ocking means an of which are. controlled byfa primary electric circuit and which will be. operated, when the circuit is. broken so that there which can be mounted on the starting gates now inu'se; Another object of my invention-is to provide a starting gate which'carrj be operated" when one of the stall gates is damagedto such an extent that such stall gate cannot be closed but-the other iii stall gates are undamaged,

My invention comprises a; race hors e startinggate which is mounted on Wheels sothat it may be moved readily from one'place to another on the track. The starting gate has a plurality of stalls which have gates hinged at the; front and back ends thereof" and inwhich-(the horses; are

placed prior'to the starting of the race. I'use an electr c-magnetic means in cembination with a hydraulic means for releasing all of the stall gates simultaneously. Each of thestall gates is provided with a-lock WhiCh hOIdSthe gate in closed position Each lock consists of a locking pm which is hydraulically operated. All of 'theflocksare connected in a primary circuit which is normallyenergized in order to hold the locks locking position. However, when the circuit is" broken; an of the locks are simultaneouslyactuated to rel'ease' the gates. Thus, it will be apparent that if the gates are in condition for operating when they'are closed; there is no danger'of their not operating I when the circuit to the variouslocking, means is broken. In my device any of the stall gatescan be independently released in order to release any horse which is actirig ,up. prior to the startjof. the race, This is accomplished by means or a secondary circuit and a 'switch'whic h permi'tsjthe. breaking of the secondary circuit. Breaking the primary circuit to release. the gate locks is adapted to make a circuit ,to.an electric bell Whichrings the moment the stall gates are released. In this type of starting gate, it is practically impossible for a race to get off to a badstart due to. the improperoperation of the gate 7 p I i I Various other objects and advantages will be; apparent as the description proceeds.

. The preferred embodiment of my invention is will'be no danger of some of the horses being illustrated in the accompanying drawings where.-

lock'ed inthe stalls. while the otherslhave been released; w, v

Another object of my invention, is to provide a 'secondarycircuit. and a switch on the, locking means of each individual; gatewhich can be re leased independently oijthe, others so. as to allow. an over-anxious horse to break through before therace is started I Another, object of my invention is ta provide a locking means which is simpleiir constructioniand 55,

in similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts and wherein: I y

Figure 1 is a front. elevational view of a starting gate with my lockingmeans associated thereon the outer, panel of the gates 9.

gates with the electric and hydraulic locking frame structure 3 and of laterally spaced vertical. I

posts 4 and 4a which divide the device into a plurality of stalls. The gate can be moved-from place to place by means of a tractor which can be connected to a tongue member ,5 (Figure 2) shown at one end of the starting gate. A bell member 8 is disposed in the upper frame struc ture at the center of the gate. I

The stalls formed by the vertical post members 4 and 4a have padded portions I running from front to rear to prevent the horses from injuring themselves while waiting for the start of the race. The rear, end of each stall has twogate portions 8 which are hinged to the vertical posts 4a.. Therear gates 8 are also suitably padded as shown at 8a. The gates 8 are'manuallylocked by suitable means, common in the art, after the horses are positioned in th stalls. V

At the front end of each stall a pair of gate members Bare hingedto the vertical posts 4. The gates 9 have a lower solid panel portion while-the upper portion of th gate has wire screen to permit forward vision of the horse and jockey. The lower part of the gate 9 is padded on the inside in the same manner-as the sides of the stall and rear gate portions. A strong tension spring I is attached toth outside of each gate portion 9, as shown in Figure 5, and to a forwardly extending bracket IIJa carried by the post 4. This spring pulls the gate portion open when the lock is released. A pair of catch members IIJb are suitably supportedby each of the brackets I Ila andcooperate with the locking portions 90, carried This spring catch mechanism IIIb prevents the gates rebounding when they. are snapped open by the springs Ill. The front gate 9 must be well constructed in order to hold the horses in the stall. Vertical reinforcing posts II are suitably carried on the outer ends of the gates 9. Thes'eposts are welded or otherwise firmly attached to the frame portion of the gate 9. When closed the pair of gates 9 will be disposed in forwardly converging relationship as shown in Figure 2.

The locking means which I use to hold the free forward ends of each pair of gates 9 in closed position comprises a locking pin l2 carried' by one of the gates 9, which cooperates with an L-shaped keeper member I3, carried by the other gate member 9. The keeper member I3 has an opening I4 in its horizontal portion through which the locking pin I2 is lifted when the gate is locked. The keeper member I3 is supported by a block I5 which is welded to the vertical post II carried on the forward end of the gate 9. The keeper member I3 has a. vertical slot I6 formed therein through which passes a bolt I! which has an adjustable clamping nut I8 threaded on its outer end. It will be seen that by loosening the nut I8 the keeper can be movedvertically in order to adjust it relative to the locking pin I2 carried by the other gate member. Guideways I9 are bolted onto the block member 5.t0 prevent the keeper member I3 from being jarred out of line thelocking pin I2. Thus, each individual pair of gates will have an individual adjustment between the locking pin and its keeper member.

The locking pin I2 is in reality a piston rod Icarried by the piston 20 disposed in the hydraulic cylinder 2|. The cylinder unit 2| is suitably bolted onto the post II of the gate 9 directly beneath a U-shaped bracket member 22. The upper end of the rod I2passes through and is guided in its vertical reciprocation by the U- shaped bracket member 22 which is suitably welded onto the vertical post II of the gate 9. The locking pin I2 is provided with a collar member 23. A compression spring 2 4 surrounds the locking pin I2 above collar 23 and tends to move the pin downwardly. As can be seen from Figure 6, when th gate is in locked position the piston 28, which carries the locking pin, is pushedupwardly by the hydraulic fluid 2 la in the cylinder unit 2|. This forces the lockingpinupwardly into cooperating relationship with the opening I4 inthe keeper member I3. The spring 24 is compressed against the upper portion of the bracket member 22. When the fluid 2 Ia is released from the cylinder 2 I, the piston 20 will beforc ed downwardly by the spring 24. thus releasing the looking pin I2 from th keeperv member I3. When the lockis released as above described; the spring member III disposed on the outside of each gate member will instantly snap the gate open, thus allowing the horses to start therace.

A flexible tube or conduit .25 leads from each cylinder 2| to a master piston and cylinder unit 26 which is, suitably held in position. on the bracket member |0a supported by the post 4. The line 25 is connected to the lower end of the cylinder unit 2| and to the left end of the unit 26. The unit. 26 includes a cylinderwhich has a piston 28 reciprocably mounted therein. A filling plug -26a'with an. inlet port is disposed on topjof the cylinder to allowfor replenishing the supply of fluid from time to time. A compression spring 29 tends to'push the piston'28 to the right of the cylinder. I When the piston is disposed in the right-hand end of the cylinder, the hydraulic, fluid fills the cylinder 28 but when the piston is forced to the left against the action of the spring 29'the fluid is forced upwardly throughthe line 25 and into the cylinder 2| thus holding the locking pin I2 in engagement withmthe keeper member I3. The piston 28 has a piston rod 30 extending through the end -boot 3| to the right of the cylindermemher or arm .26. The rod 38 has a clevis 32 threaded on its"outer end and is attached to a pivoted rocker arm member 33 by means of a clevis pin 34. The arm 33 is pivotally supported at 35 on a bracket member 35 which is suitably bolted to the underside of the bracket Illa. A strong tension spring member 38 is connected tothe lower endcf'the arm 33 at 31. The other end of the spring 38 is suitably'attached to the bracket 39 carriedby the bracket 36. An armature 40 is bolted on the upper 'end of the arm 33. There is a little play between the armature 40 and the arm 33 so that the armature will'be free to move slightly'to adjust itself.

An E-shaped'electro-magnet 4| is suitably supported by an IL-shaped bracket member 42 which is suitably bolted ontojthe'member Illa. A brace bar or reinforcing support 42a is provided to strengthen the bracket 42. This magnet 4| is so mounted that the; armature 4 0 will contact it when the upperend'ofthe arm 33 is moved to ,bra'ckets the left of'Figure 4 against the action of the spring 38'. The magnet 4| is connected to a primary electric circuit by suitable means. As shown in Figure 4, the magnet is energized thus holding the arm 33. in vertical position. The piston 28 in the cylinder 26 is forced to the left thus forcing the fluid through the line 25 and into cylinder 2| to hold the locking pin l2 in engagement with the keeper member I3. I provide a secondary circuit in the form of a wire 43 from the magnet 4|. to a switch member 44 on each of the magnets of the gates to disconnect themfrom the primary circuit independently of the others. This allows any one of the gates to be swung open" individually by deenergizing' the I magnet 4| thusreleasing thearmature 4|] which will be pulled to the right by the spring 38 which is connectedto the lower end of the arm 33. When this is done the piston 28.will also be moved to the right thus relieving the cylinder 2| of fluid and permitting the spring 24 to move or release the locking pin |2 from the keeper member'l3.

Figure 3 shows diagrammatically how the plurality of gates. may be operated from a single circuit. In this figure, each of the magnets 4| is connected .in parallel across the primary circuit which includes a battery, a relay and a master switch. The signal bell 6 is also connected inv parallel across the circuit. The circuit to the magnets on the starting gate is normally closed and the circuit to the bell is normally open. In

order to release all of the locking pins from the keeper members, the starter energizes the relay 45, by pressing a button 41, which breaks the circuit to the magnets through a switch member 46 and at the same time closes the circuit to the bell.6.. It is to be understood that the master switch must be closed before either the magnets 4| or the bell 6 can be operated. As soon as the starter-releases the button 41 which energizes the f relay 45, the switch member 46 is sprung back into contact with the circuit to the magnets and I is ready for resetting of the gates.

V In the operation of my device, the master switch in the primary'circuit is closed thus energizing the plurality of magnets carried by the tact with the magnets 4| thus forcing the piston 28 to theleft in the cylinder 26. This results in thehydraulic fluid forcing the piston member 20 inthe cylinder 2| upwardly against the action of Ythe compression spring 24 and carryingthelockfling pin l2 into its uppermost position. In the event that the keeper member |3 is out of adjustment with the locking'pimit can now be adjusted as shown-in Figure 6 to hold the gates in closed position. The horses are placed in the stalls after the front gates 9 are closed. They remain there until the starter is ready to push the button 41 which energizes the relay member 45 and breaks the circuit to the magnets 4| and simul taneously makes the circuit to the hell 6. When the magnet 4| is deenergized, the arm 33 is I snapped outwardly or to the right-of'Figure 4 on its pivot 35 *by means of the tension spring member 38. This causes the piston rod 30 to be pulled tothe right by the arm member 33 providing a space in cylinder 26 to receive fluid which flows Ilia." The stall gates are manually closed and the armatures 40 are moved into conout of the cylinder 2 The release of fluid from cylinder 2| allows the spring member 24 to force the locking in downwardly out of engagement having their free edges connected to one another with the keeper member l3. The gates are immediately snappedopen by means of the spring members I0 which are attached to the outside faces of the'gates and to the extending bracket Illa. It ,will be seen from the above description that I provide a starting gate which-has many advantages over the prior art starting gates.

' 'One of the advantages of my invention is that I provide combined electric and hydraulic locking and releasing means for a starting gate which functions to release all of the gates simultaneously.

Another advantage of myinvention is that each,

individual gate can be released separately.

Another advantage of my invention is that I provide a starting gate which is operated by breaking the circuit to the locking means. rather than by making it.

Having thus described my invention, what Iv claim is:' p

1. A'starting gate structure including a frame and comprising a pair of hinged gate members and means for moving said gate members to open position when the locking means is released, said actuating means being adapted to break the circuit and d-energize the electro magnet to operate the said mechanismand hydraulic means to permit movement of said locking means to released position and thereby permit opening of said gate membersr 2. A starting gate structure comprising a supporting frame and two or more pairs of cooper- 1 ating gates each of which is hingedly mounted on the frame, the forward free edges of each pair of gates when in closed position being connected to each other, each pair of gates having associated therewith means for opening the gates and an electro-magnet, a hydraulic mechanism mounted on the supporting frame, a latch mechanism semeans when the, hydraulic mechanism is operf cured t0 the gates, a primary electric circuit for all the electro-magnets, a secondary electric circuit for each electro-magnet, means for opening the primary circuit to de-energize all the electromagnets, means for operating the hydraulic mechanism when the electro-magnets-are de-energized and means for releasing ,the latchin ated whereby all the gates will be unlatched and I opened simultaneously, and means for, opening each secondary circuit independently for de-energizing its electro-magnet independently to cause the opening of the pair of gates associated therewith independently of other pairs of gates.

' KENNETHC. GOODMAN. 

